* The Turkish prime minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan
was in London on an official visit earlier this week.
Mr. Erdogan met the British prime minister Mr. Blair
and one of the topics discussed in the meeting was
cooperation against terrorism. After the meeting Mr.
Blair expressed his appreciation for Turkey's efforts
and said "The cooperation we have had from Turkey has
been excellent both in terms of intelligence and the
exchange of information."

* Speaking of terrorism, In an interview with the Times
a London on Thursday Mr. Erdogan reiterated Turkey's
right to carry out cross-border operations into
northern Iraq against the rebel Turkish Kurds.
As we reported to you last week the United States is
opposed to Turkish incursions. Turkey has been urging
U.S. and Iraqi officials to take measures against the
rebel Kurds who they say infiltrate turkey from their
hideouts in northern Iraq.
Rebel Kurds are blamed for various bombing incidents
in the past few months. Most countries around the
world including the U.S. and the European Union
consider the Rebel Kurds' organizations as terrorist
entities.

* The Turkish private channel NTV reports that at least
three Turkish citizens were among the victims of the
devastating series of bomb blasts that rocked the
Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el Sheikh two
Saturdays ago.
One Turkish citizen is still listed as missing.

* The daily Turkiye reports that the European Union
Commission Turkey Representative Hansjoerg Kretschmer
said on Thursday that a strong, stable, and peaceful
Turkey will be to the European Union's benefit, adding
that there are several areas in Turkey, which need to
be developed.
First a free market economy and a liberal democratic
atmosphere should be fostered, he said.
"Turkey has adopted important social reforms, but
there is still much to do to guarantee human rights
and basic rights and freedoms," he added.

* Turkey signed a protocol and extended its customs
union agreement with the European Union to the new
member countries of the union.
Among these countries is the Greek Cyprus that turkey
does not recognize and have no diplomatic relations.
The Greek Cypriot leader Mr. Papadopoulos welcomed
Turkey's signing of the agreement, and said that it
will help normalize the relations between Greek
Cypriots and Turkey.
However, the Turkish prime minister said earlier in
the week that recognizing the Greek Cypriots as "the
government in Cyprus" is out of the question until the
Greek Cypriots settle their differences with the
Turkish Cypriots.
The Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been living apart
ever since the pogroms against the Turks started in
1960s.
Turkey intervened militarily in Cyprus in 1974 and
the Turkish Cypriots moved to the north of the
island. Eventually they set up a separate
administration.
Earlier last year a United Nations plan to reunite
the two communities under one administration failed
when Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected the plan.

* The Turkish daily Cumhuriyet reports that the Turkish
Constitutional Court elected a female judge as the
chief justice.
Ms. Tulay Tugcu is the first female head of the
44-year-old constitutional court. Ms. Tugcu said she
would continue her work on the basis of human rights
and freedoms, Turkey's first president Mr. Kemal
Ataturk's principles and reforms, and the democratic
and secular state of law as stipulated in the Turkish
constitution.
The court serves as one of the checks and balances to
the parliament, ensuring that all legislation is in
line with the constitution.

* Turkey's State Institute of Statistics reported that
the unemployment rate in Turkey fell to 10 percent in
April. According to the Institute the number of people
employed rose to 22 million.

ARTS AND CULTURE

Edited by Colleen Clark

* Turkey's capital Ankara's mayor Melik Gökçek and U.S.
Chargé d'Affaires Ms. Nancy McEldowney on Monday opened
a photo exhibition titled "The 100th Year of
Turkish-American Friendship" at Ankara's Zafer shopping
mall.
Ms. McEldowney said she was honored to open the
exhibit with Mayor Gökçek, who has done so many good
things for Ankara.
McEldowney said that she hoped that the past hundred
years of friendship will be expanded and continued
for the next hundred years. Mayor Gökçek also drew
attention to the cooperation of the two countries
against terrorism.
After the speeches, Mr. Gökçek and Ms. McEldowney
toured the photo exhibition and viewed the photos
together.

* The first carved column of the ancient city of
Laodicea, bearing a likeness of the founder's wife,
after whom the city was named, has been unearthed in a
summer excavation at the site.
Laodicea, located in current-day Western Turkish
province of Denizli and dating back to the third
century B.C., was built upon the order of Syrian King
Antiochos II and later destroyed by an earthquake. The
column, dating to the same era, bears a likeness of the
king's wife, Laodikeia, as well as an inscription.
Assistant Professor Celal SimSek of Pamukkale
University said his excavation team consists of six
assistants, 15 archaeologists, 40 archaeology students
and 30 laborers.
Dr. SimSek also said that the ancient city was one of
the largest and most civilized of its time with its
seven big churches, two ancient theaters accommodating
15,000 and 20,000 spectators, a hippodrome with a
capacity of 30,000 and a monumental fountain.
"We are discovering an ancient and different world
during our current dig in Laodicea. It would take
every archaeologist in Turkey working for 50 years to
bring this ancient city totally to light. We've found
many little things like nails, local ceramic products,
charm covers, earthenware and sculptures during the
excavation. We reached the center of Laodicea this year
having begun working around the outskirts of the city
initially," he added
See more at: http://www.ntimages.com/Laodicia-tns.htmhttp://www.ourfatherlutheran.net/biblehomelands/sevenchurches/laodicea/laodictxt.htm

* Mayor of Edirne Mr. Hamdi Sedefçi said an
International Peace and Beauty Pageant organized by the
municipality is to take place on Sept. 18.
The pageant will send a message of friendshipand
peace to the world from the point where the borders
of Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria intersect, the Anatolia
news agency reported.
"Our guests will participate in various activities
aimed at promoting Edirne in the run-up to the
contest. The contestants are from Turkey, the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus, Armenia, Russian
Federation's Tatarstan, England, Poland, Greece,
Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Hungary, France, Russia,
Singapore, China, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Albania, and
Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Mayor Sedefçi.

* German-based director Fatih Akin, who won the Golden
Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival for his film
"Head On" returned to his hometown of Filyos in
Zonguldak in Turkey's Western Black Sea region, where
his father Enver resides.
Mr. Akin attracted the praise of critics with his
last film, "Memory of Istanbul", at the Cannes Film
Festival, and said he's looking to shoot a movie in
Filyos.
He promised the youth of his hometown that he would
offer a 10-day film course as part of the Filyos
Culture and Art Seminar, scheduled to take place next
year.
Filyos Culture and Art Seminar organizers Muhammet
Yildiz and Mehmet Türkcelik said the gesture from
Mr. Akin meant a lot to the local people.

* The traditional "palace halva" of Kastamonu,
historically made by specially trained cooks in Seljuk
and Ottoman palaces for centuries, is now being
reproduced for residents of and visitors to Kastamonu,
reports the Anatolia news agency.
Kastamonu is a town in Turkey's Western Black Sea
region and the seat of the province with the same
name.
Nearly 10 tons of palace halva are produced daily,
and Turkish Airlines serves this special dessert to
its foreign guests on their flights. In fact, many
tourists have visited Kastamonu after enjoying this
tasty treat on a plane.
Companies that produce the halva say foreign tourists
like this traditional concoction as much as Turks.
According to one producer it is quite difficult to make
real palace halva, adding that it takes five specially
trained cooks.
The halva ingredients consist of plain flour, sugar,
quality butter and water, and requires much manual
pulling and kneading of the mixture. It is customarily
served on Holidays, weddings, circumcision parties and
funerals.

* Art lovers in Konya in central Turkey have the
pleasure of viewing pieces from a local artist who
creates wonderful paintings by using ebru (traditional
Turkish marbling on paper) and oil techniques.
Selçuk University lecturer Mutluhan Tas¸ said he
always admired traditional ebru and focused his
studies on it.
Mr. Tas says it is very difficult to make definitive
shapes in ebru. "I combined two painting styles that
I love onto one canvas. This revolutionary combo
technique, first done by me, worked like a charm. I
applied oil paintings onto a base of ebru. About 70
percent of the painting is the ebru base, and I added
details to it."
Mr. Tas said it was good to experiment with new
techniques. His paintings measure 5' x 8' and they
sell for between $1,300 and $10,000.
Mr. Tas graduated from the painting department of
Gazi University in Ankara in 1994 and worked as a
painting teacher in different schools for two years. He
obtained his master's at Selçuk University in Konya,
where he remains a lecturer.
He has also produced a four-part documentary on
painting for the Turkish State Radio and Television
network.
See more at:http://resimgalerisi.netfirms.com/katilimci/mutluhan/mutluhan.htm

* Turkish folk musician and the player of the
traditional instrument baglama Fatih Kisaparmak was in
New York to participate in a "Turkish-American Night"
concert.
Prior to the concert Mr. Kisaparmak held a joint
press conference with the Golden Meadow Culture
Foundation, organizers of the event, and told reporters
he was giving a U.S. concert for the first time with
the aim of assisting in the betterment of
Turkish-American friendship, the Anatolia news agency
reported.
Mr. Kisaparmak said he wanted to heed the voice of
his public and to promote Anatolia, mainland part of
Turkey.
The foundation organized the concert as part of the
"Ethnic Music Nights" series, held for the last 30
years in New York's Long Island.
Seventeen countries are taking part in the series of
concerts, scheduled to last all summer.
EXCHANGE RATE

* Istanbul side Galatasaray has retained the services of its first
choice Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Ali Mondragon, beating off the
attentions of Italian club Palermo. Galatasaray announced that
Mondragon had agreed to terms with the club to extend his present
contract (1 year remaining) for an additional 2 years.

* UEFA Champions League 2nd qualifying round - Trabzonspor became the
first Turkish team to play in Greek Cyprus but lost 3-1 to Anorthosis.

* Trabzonspor has increased its scoring options with the signing of
Czech striker Tomas Jun.

* French striker Nicolas Anelka will be returning to Fenerbahce again
this season, rather than making a return to the British Premier League
with Newcastle United.

* Spanish side Barcelona had agreed to again loan veteran keeper RüStü
Reçber to the Istanbul club for another season.

* BeSiktas, has announced it had completed the transfer of Brazilian
striker Ailton from German club Schalke 04.

*** Turkish American Association of California has partially
underwritten today's program. TAAC is a non-profit
charitable organization established to promote better
understanding between Americans and Turks.

If you have any questions about Turks and Turkey,
give them a call: 1-415-646-0946